January 6th, 2002

Jones: Companies need to embrace Internet
By Jenny Keppert

Of The Reporter Staff

"Do well so that you can do good" was the main message of local entrepreneur Don Jones' speech Thursday at Moraine Park Technical College's "e-Volving Your Business: A Macro to Micro Approach" seminar.

Jones, president and CEO of Spirit Enterprise, has founded and been involved in numerous telecommunications and technology businesses for the last 35 years.

His speech, "e-Commerce Mistakes of the Past and Prospects for the Future," was well-received by an audience of 50 various area business professionals.

If there is one thing Jones wanted the attendees to take with them, it is, "Acquire the e-mail addresses of each and every customer and vendor that you deal with. If you don't do this, someone will, and more likely, someone already has."

For the past five years, presenters struggled with how to describe the appearance of the Internet. Tsunami and tectonics were some ideas used, but Jones uses a different anecdote for the change.

"It's a hurricane - a 20-year event," he said. "It began in 1990 when the Internet was approved to be used for commerce, but in 1994 and 1995 we learned to use the computer in a user-friendly way.

"The eye of the hurricane was March 2000 when NASDAQ reached an all-time high. How large is the eye? Ten years remain in the Internet online commerce change. Prepare yourself for another 10 years."

Jones gave five reasons for his belief in online commerce. They are: kids, Toyota, Library of Congress, the Pope and George.

* He pointed out that 71 percent of kids between ages 12 and 15 prefer online information over the library as a principal knowledge source.

* Toyota, because they will launch a new brand available only on the Internet.

* The Library of Congress because, as Jones said, "librarians resist change."

He further explained that 82 percent of the 5,000 employees at the Library of Congress prefer the daily library news via e-mail rather than the weekly printed publication.

* The Pope because, instead of traveling to New Zealand and Australia, he decided to send an e-mail instead.

"If the Pope says its good, than it's going to be good," Jones said.

Finally, there's George. Jones told the audience about George, a chainsaw maintenance consultant, who accepted change by purchasing a computer and connecting to the Internet to avoid a $25 charge for each order that he called or faxed in.

To illustrate the significance of the Internet, Jones presented some substantial statistics:

* In 2001, Internet data quadrupled.

* In November and December, 29 million people spent an average of $392 each on online purchases.
* There are 33 million AOL users who average one hour and 10 minutes per day online.

Jones asked the audience some business questions, which are given with his answers.

Q: How many dot com companies failed in 2001?
A: 225 in 2001 and 537 in 2000
Q: What percent of dot com companies failed?
A: Less than 10 percent. There are about 7,000 to 10,000 in business.
Q: Do you know or could you talk about Marc Andreessen?
A: Marc Andreessen is a Wisconsin hero. A native of New Lisbon, Andreessen is a co-founder of Netscape.
Q: How many dairy farmers went out of business in 2001?
A: 1,200. From 1993 to 2001, 30,434 dairy farms went out of business, but milk production has increased.
Q: How many venture capital companies started in 2001?
A: Twenty in Wisconsin and 3,418 in the United States.
"Why entrepreneurship?" Jones asked.

His answer is that entrepreneurship creates jobs, provides health and education for the family, makes things better and creates wealth that can be given away.

"Entrepreneur ideas are all around you. They're in your workplace and your marketplace. Look for them, embrace them, look for the Georges, look for the kids and you'll find the entrepreneurial ideas.

"Success is never final; failure is never fatal. The only thing that counts is courage. And, oh yes, the Internet is very helpful," Jones said.